CHESTER, Va. -- Curtis Elementary School counselor Sarah Miller wanted to teach a lesson in giving.
"We want to create a kind world where people are giving and loving and that's what I'm hoping I'm doing," Ms. Miller said.
Sarah Miller
"She gave us these slips that said if our parents would allow it," 5th grader Lia Steele said. “And they did because they're so cool.”
Lia Steele
A cool idea? Collecting coats for kids through the Puritan Cleaners “Coats for Kids” program.
"When it's their idea and they plan it and they advertise it and follow through... it's a really proud moment," principal Susan Pereira said. “It’s a proud parent moment. Sit back and shine."
Susan Pereira
Principal Pereira said there was also an education element to this community service. Volunteering helps students enhance their personal knowledge, grow from new experiences, and develop better interpersonal communication skills.
"Well, it's real world application. I've been doing this long enough to see that students who give are the ones who receive and a few years later, they're giving again. It's a cycle. "
Others are learning the psychological, social and cognitive effects of giving through their schools.
Building a giving community... is Building Better Minds.
